HYDERABAD: The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) is preparing to launch a property tax amnesty scheme for under-assessed or unassessed properties. The scheme would allow owners to declare actual built-up areas without penalties or legal action. Those who opt in will be protected from prosecution for past underpayment.
GHMC officials said owners who do not use the scheme will face surveys and reassessment, as the civic body now has detailed building data from drone imagery and GIS mapping. Higher penalties may follow once the amnesty period ends.
The scheme aims to bring several thousand properties, including buildings with additional floors or new constructions, into the tax net. Officials said the focus is on properties that declared less than their actual built-up area, as identified during GIS surveys.
Owners will be required to voluntarily update details such as increased floor area, additional floors, or change of use from residential to commercial. “Discrepancies have been identified through high-resolution drone imagery and GIS mapping. We now have accurate building footprints and floor details,” an official said.
Regularisation will be through a self-assessment application available on the GHMC website and at Mee Seva centres using the Property Tax Identification Number. Officials said similar schemes are in place in Mumbai, Delhi and Pune.
GHMC said the initiative will help owners correct records and clear dues and help it boost revenue collections.